As I wrote yesterday, no one knows exactly what we’ll want from our marketing automation systems in the future. But it's still worth taking a guess at what looks likely. Here are some trends I expect will be important. Social Media. The first wave of marketing automation features for social media is now several years old. The second wave is just starting. Mobile. Video. Benchmarks. Testing.

In our weekly B2B marketing show, Jeff Ogden, President of Find New Customers (and host of Mad Marketing TV) shares a key marketing lesson in a fun and engaging video. In this episode, he laments boring, repetitive advertising and shows how one company does it differently. We hope you enjoy it and tune in next Friday for a brand new show. by Act-On Software and hosted by me.

SEO: Much more than just keywords. SEO is now a well known aspect of marketing. The rise and rise of search engines and the growth of the internet mean that companies are keen to get in on the act. But while SEO is well recognised as a valuable source of revenue and reputation, a lot of business-owners and marketers still overlook the all-important detail in achieving results from SEO marketing. This means that too many companies are still missing out on the potential benefits - and could actually be undermining their search engine ranking. So what is the right mindset for making more from SEO?

Let’s face it, especially during this time of year when the holidays are approaching, we can tend to think of all the new and shiny toys and gifts that await us, and overlook all the current things (i.e. current customers) we have to be thankful for. downside in our consumer-focused culture is to always want the “new” thing and forget all that we have. Let’s all take a pledge to be thankful for our existing customers this season and let it carry over into our 2012 marketing plans
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As search engine algorithms continue to become more and more sophisticated, they are getting better at ranking web sites based on the web of connections leading both inward and outward. For example, if you are a company that specializes in delivering custom web solutions then it is important that you seek reciprocal links from the 10 or 15 top-ranked blogs and or websites that cover your area of expertise. The following infographic comes from HUA marketing and illustrates some tactical steps to developing a social linking strategy.
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I have a “strong suggestion” for you entrepreneurs, start-ups, spin-offs, R&D folks, developers, CTOs, CEOs, COOs, CMOs, PR and crisis communications peeps – well, everyone involved in getting the word out about some “new thing.” ” Connect strategically now. Online, Online, strategically, on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and more. Now , when the product idea is just a seedling in your brain and soul. Now , when the client tells you about the inkling of a community initiative that you know may need support in the future. 5,000? 50,000? Engage them.
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This one comes to us from HUA Marketing by way of Social Times : “In part, link building is very important for internet marketing efforts because search engines are finding superior ways to determine the quality of each link. It’s important for businesses who leverage search to maintain their quality links , and the following infographics give you a few tips. It starts with building a network of bloggers and guest authors. The relationship is reciprocal and both websites facilitate an ongoing exchange of quality content and links. ” Related articles.
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Branding used to be a high-level exercise bigger companies went through as part of their strategic marketing processes. You get an agency, brainstorm cute pictures, logos, and tag lines, come up with the visual guidelines, and move on. Every now and then you refer back to those branding guidelines that tell you the correct position for your logo and the approved color scheme. Fast forward to today. You’re not doing passive marketing anymore, you’re actively seeking out, enticing, educating, and engaging your audience. You are creating content. Where is your brand now? It Starts With the Brand.
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